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Deficit grows while front line services continue to suffer: Compton

Posted|March 15, 2017

Belfast – Front
line services for Islanders like health care and education will continue to
suffer as the MacLauchlan government underfunds them in pursuit of its growing
deficit, says Belfast-Murray River MLA and Opposition Finance Critic Darlene
Compton.

“Again
and again we see corners being cut in programs and services that make a real
difference in the lives of Islanders like our schools and health care while the
deficit keeps growing. That’s why we see short-sighted ideas like school
closures being pushed to try and cut costs that will end up costing us all more
in the long run,” says Compton.

According
to the province’s 3rd Quarter Fiscal Update released today the deficit for the
current fiscal year nearly doubled to almost $18.million. Compton noted that the
deficit would have been even higher without a one time surplus of $10.3 million
in 3rd Quarter earnings from Island Investment Development Inc. (IIDI)

“Seniors
housing, long-term care, mental health and addictions and education are all
areas where we keep seeing the consequences of this tired government’s cuts and
underfunding as the Auditor General keeps pointing out as recently as today.
Meanwhile, this government’s goal of a balanced budget keeps drifting further
away,” says Compton.